


Adjustments

by Andromeda (melodic_unrest311)



Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: Behavioral Analysis Unit (Criminal Minds), Eventual Romance, Multi, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-29
Updated: 2016-11-30
Packaged: 2018-08-11 18:02:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 16,125
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7902421
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/melodic_unrest311/pseuds/Andromeda
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>For the next year, Kat Sullivan has been assigned as the BAU Intern. She instantaneously falls in line with the rest of the team but can't help but notice a certain doctor...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

"Shit, shit, shit, shit,  _shit_..." 

Leave it to Kathleen Sullivan to be late on her first day as an FBI Intern. As a grad student at Brown, working on her second Masters degree, she was required to execute a year long internship in correlation with her program. When she'd heard about the opportunity at the FBI she couldn't pass it up. She'd busted her ass in the gym so she could pass the physical qualifier, studied like there was no tomorrow so her grades were exceptional, and made sure she never missed a psych eval. She was one of ten handpicked applicants, which was about to be nine if she couldn't find the conference room she was supposed to report to. She had no idea of what she was running toward, all she knew was that she was told to dress professionally and to be there at 8:00am. Glancing down at her watch, Kat mentally cursed herself more after noticing it was 8:04. The only sounds to be heard in the hallway past the security checkpoint were the sounds of the intern's heels rushing down the blank, white tile. 

The second she hit the door, Kat stopped dead in her tracks and tried to smooth out her brand new pencil skirt. If she had her way, she would have shown up in something way more comfortable, but she did as she was told. She would take being slightly uncomfortable for the chance of a lifetime. Seemed like a pretty decent trade off to her. After taking a few more deep, calming breaths, she walked into the room only to find every head turned and glaring at her. 

"Ms. Sullivan I presume?" A older woman questioned, the rest of the room silent. The other candidates looked on, terrified for the late comer. It didn't help the situation that there appeared to be actual agents surrounding the room. 

Putting on her best smile, Kat waved and took the closest seat to her. "That would be me," she replied. She swallowed before continuing, the heat from the stares causing beads of sweat to drip down the back of her neck. "Sorry, I underestimated the public transportation in this city." 

"See to it that it never happens again." Kat nodded in understanding before everyone turned their attentions back to the agents. Clearing her throat, the elder agent spoke again. "Like I was saying. These agents are here to make their intern selections. Before you stand representatives from all the major sections. They've already had access to your applications and all the screenings we've done on you. Once you are assigned, you are to report to whomever will be your supervising agent. Is that clear?" 

Like mindless automatons, all ten interns nodded their heads in reply. Kat felt like she was back in middle school and getting picked to play dodgeball. She waited patiently as names were called and her peers left with the respective agents. Before long, one came forward and looked around the room. He was of moderate height and build, Hispanic, and carried himself strongly. His eyes fell on Kat and a small smile curled on his lips. "Miss Sullivan, my name is Mateo Cruz and I am the BAU Section Chief. Would you please follow me?" 

Kat blinked, hard. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. THE Behavioral Analysis Unit wanted  _her?_ The top of the FBI food chain actually picked her out of the rest of the applicants and she found herself elated as she got up from her seat to follow Agent Cruz. 

"Congratulations Miss Sullivan," Cruz said warmly as they walked to the elevators that would take them to the fifth floor. "The BAU hasn't taken an intern in quite some time. I'm sure you'll live up to expectations." 

Double thinking her entrance that morning, Kat smiled softly and nodded. "I certainly hope so, Sir," she replied genuinely. She chuckled and brushed her jet black hair behind her ear as the elevator continued its ascent. "Thank you for picking me to play for your team. I won't let you down." Chuckling himself, Cruz held his arm out while the doors opened, releasing them into the lobby of the BAU. "I'm sure you won't. Agent Hotchner and his team are the best we've got. They'll be more than able to make this internship worthwhile for you." 

They walked in and Kat was immediately greeted by a rather eccentric looking woman, dressed in frills and colors galore with brilliantly blonde hair. "You must be the fledgling!" the woman beamed. She instantly threw her arms around the intern who had no idea what on God's green earth what was going on. "I can take her from here, Sir. I'll happily introduce her to the rest of the team." Smiling, the section chief shook his head. 

"Good luck Miss Sullivan," he said warmly, shaking Kat's hand before turning to leave. "I'll leave you in Garcia's more than capable hands."

At that, Penelope grabbed the new addition by the hand, dragging her toward the middle of the room. "SUPER FRIENDS, ASSEMMMMBLLLLLLLE!" she cried, using her free hand like a bullhorn. "They always come when I call," she whispered with a salacious wink. Kat could feel the blush rising to her cheeks at the statement but quickly reined it in once the team began to arrive. 

"Lovlies, meet Miss Kathleen Sullivan," Garcia cooed, "our new intern! Imagine! Us! With our own intern! That hasn't happened in over a decade!" 

"Actually it's been 18 years," retorted a man from the middle of the pack. He looked so...  _young_. Handsome, but young to be on the best team the BAU could produce. His hair was shaggy, which made Kat think of a boy band wannabe. His eyes were warm yet tired and his voice was light. 

"She  _just_ got here, man," came a deeper, smother voice. "At least introduce yourself before you scream 'nerd'. Hi, I'm Supervisory Special Agent Derek Morgan." Kat extended her hand and shook the agent's firmly. "And the walking, talking fact book is Dr. Spencer Reid." The latter agent waved politely and thanked Morgan for the 'assistance.'

"Nice to meet you SSA Morgan," she replied with a laugh. "And you as well, Dr. Reid." 

A blonde and a brunette began laughing as well. "Don't mind those two," said the blonde. "I'm Agent Jennifer Jareau." 

"And I'm SSA Emily Prentiss," said the brunette. "But hey. After 18 years, at least they're finally trusting us with an intern again!"

Two older gentlemen soon approached Kat and shook hands with her as well, "Welcome to the BAU," said the first, who soon introduced himself as SSA David Rossi. "And let's try not to scare her off, huh guys? It's not our fault that we were never selected."

"And now we have, so let's move on from there." The authority in the voice led Kat to believe that the owner of said voice had to be the Unit Chief.

"You must be SSA Hotchner," she said with a smile and another handshake. "Thank you for having me. Really. I never would have anticipated this."

"Well, I'm sure you'll learn many valuable lessons in the year to come," he said knowingly. "But unfortunately, we don't have the time to properly welcome you." Turning to the rest of the team, he held his hand in the direction of what appeared to be a small room in the back corner. "We have a case that needs our attention, right Garcia?"

As if she were suddenly remembering the entire reason for being there, Garcia jumped, waving a manilla folder in her hand. "That's right, that's right," she agreed, walking toward the back. "We'll have plenty of time to make her feel at home. But for now, onward crime fighters! To the Hall of Justice!" 

 


	2. Chapter 2

Kat was excitedly led into the BAU conference room by none other than their self-proclaimed "Goddess of all things Tech", followed by the rest of the team. They filed in and grabbed their seats like they had done so a million times before and they probably had. Rossi sat closest to Hotch, and Morgan was to his left. Reid situated himself between Morgan and JJ, while Prentiss called for the intern to sit beside her. As Kat took her seat, she noticed Garcia head to the front of the room, bringing up terribly graphic crime scene photos along with what appeared to be the victims' drivers license photos. 

"Now that we're all gathered up," the tech analyst announced, "Please turn your attention to your tablets." 

Looking around the room, Kat noticed that everyone had a personal tablet except for Dr. Reid. Before long, Garcia had slipped one in front of the newest addition to the round table, winking softly. 

"Meet Colin, Andrea, and Andrew Mills," she began, her voice a touch softer than it had been before. "A small family from Arcadia, Indiana. Colin was a mechanic, Andrea was a store manager, and their son had just started working for his father. They were brutally attacked in their home while they slept. As you can see, it was quite the tragedy."

More gruesome photos came up onto the screen. While she had seen pictures like that in textbooks, Kat had never seen them mere hours after they were taken. The images of arterial spray, drag marks, and the vacant look in the deceased eyes' were sobering to say the least. They didn't make her ill or anything of that sort, but they did strike up a need to help the victims within the young intern. 

She was roughly pulled from her thoughts as the rest of the team began to analyze the situation. Kat sat back and listened intently, trying to learn as much as she possibly could, not just about the subject at hand but how the team operated as a whole. 

"The presence of overkill suggests an exorbitant amount of rage," Dr. Reid spouted, looking over the photos more closely inside his folder. "The UnSub either knew them personally, or has gone into some kind of psychotic break."

Hotch nodded in reply, his face stone cold and emotionless. Kat couldn't help but wonder how long he had been apart of the Bureau in order to have such a reaction to such material. "And why did the locals ask for our help, Garcia? Do they suspect more murders?" 

Putting her head down, Garcia clicked her remote and another seemingly happy family photo appeared on screen. "Last year, to the date  _exactly_ , there was a similar murder. A family of three, The Parkers, parents and a teenage son were brutalized in their home overnight. They believe the two cases are related but thought it would be more in our wheelhouse. Small towns don't exactly see this kind of thing often."

Morgan was the next one to speak up, his playful tone of voice gone. "Definitely more our thing," he said coldly, swiping through his tablet and not even bothering to look up. "I'm guessing there were no witness or additional information for either case?"

Reading over her own tablet, JJ added to the conversation. "Looks like no witnesses in either murder, but there appears to be a 911 call made after the second. Do we know who that was?" 

"The neighbor, Selma Ross," Prentiss said confidently. She brushed strands of her jet black hair behind her ear before speaking again. "Said she heard some kind of 'devilish ruckus' coming from the house next door around 2:00am." 

Taking in the information, Hotch stood and gathered his tablet in his arm. "Looks like we're headed to Indiana," he announced firmly. "Wheels up in 30." He then turned his icy gaze to Kat on the opposite side of the table. "Miss Sullivan, will you please come with me? We have a couple matters to discuss before take off." 

Swallowing hard, she got up and followed her new boss to his office down the hall, nervously sitting in the chair before him but trying desperately to look in control. Her mind was racing with possibilities but she was able to quiet herself with a deep breath. "Everything okay, Agent Hotchner?" she asked calmly. 

The Unit Chief pulled a paperback book and a notebook from a drawer within his desk. He handed it to her before laying his arms on top of his work area. "Everything is fine, Miss Sullivan," he replied, his voice a touch warmer than it had been during the briefing. It made Kat feel slightly more confident in the situation, taking the materials she was handed and looking over them. "Just wanted to chat before we take you out into the field with us for the first time."

Kat couldn't help but be excited by the prospect of actually accompanying the other agents on their assignment. When she'd applied for the internship, she'd pictured the typical situations like coffee runs, or filing paperwork. Never would she have imagined that she'd be doing actual fieldwork. "Of course, Sir," she replied respectfully, trying to contain her happiness at the chance she was being given. "What all should I know?" 

With a small smile of his own, Hotch grabbed a box from beside his desk and handed it to her. Written in thick, red permanent marker was "K. Sullivan, BAU" and it overjoyed her. Before she could catch herself, she giggled. "And it's not even Christmas!" 

Hotch made a noise that seemed akin to some sort of chuckle, probably at the child-like wonder in Kat's eyes while she removed her knife from her belt and opened the box. Inside was an FBI baseball cap, a windbreaker with "FBI" emblazoned on the back in vibrant white, and a small-ish, Kevlar vest. "Standard issue equipment. Everyone gets one, and you'll need that jacket and vest when we land in Indiana. Is that clear?" 

"Yes, Sir!" the intern answered quickly, putting her books in the box and setting it down. 

But Hotch had more information for her before they left. "Also, please make sure to read the manual I gave you while on the flight. In your file, it says you read an average of about 7000 words per minute so this should be an easy task for you. You'll need to check in with your Mentoring Agent before we take off as well. Agent Prentiss is one of the best I've got. I know she won't steer you wrong. Just keep your eyes, ears, and mind open." 

Nodding, Kat stood and shook hands with her new boss. With a smile and a spring in her step, she took off for the locker room in search of the rest of the team. Based on everything she'd encountered in the past couple hours, Kat knew that the year to come would be full of adventure, danger, and learning, and nothing excited her more. 


	3. Chapter 3

Sitting in the back corner of the jet unaccompanied, Kat began to read her manual while the team discussed the case. She had her headphones in, bobbing her head slightly to the sounds of her favorite rock bands while she made quick work of the information presented to her. She found that as an intern she was expected to participate in things like team discussions or briefings. As the agents had After Action reports to file, she too had an observation report to turn in to Hotch after every assignment. She was also encouraged to ask as many questions as needed. It was mandatory that she were the Kevlar vest assigned to her while out in the field with the other agents and she was always to carry her FBI credentials. 

There were also many things that were off-limits to her as well. If she was on assignment with her team, she was always to be escorted by an agent. If the case dealt with information so classified that Kat did not have clearance to assist, she was to be temporarily assigned to another team in her respective section until that case was closed. Then there were the obvious ones like no drugs or law breaking. If she received so much as a speeding ticket during her internship Hotch had the right to remove her from the program entirely. And under no circumstance was she to "fraternize" with the agents. 

Right before she finished the manual, Kat noticed that someone had sat across from her. She looked up at her mentoring agent, removed her earbuds, and smiled as she set the book down in her lap. 

"I imagine that's not the most exciting read there is," Prentiss joked, setting a bottle of water down in front of the intern. "But like they say, you gotta know the rules before you can break them." Looking behind her as if to check if anyone else had heard her comment, she winked. "Just kidding." 

Kat chuckled while she grabbed and opened the water bottle, thanking the agent for giving it to her. "I knew what I was signing up for right? It's not like I was applying to intern at the FBI or anything." 

The two women laughed together before being joined by Morgan, grinning wickedly. He leaned over the tiny table, his dark, muscular form stretched as he looked down at them both.  "Now I know you two aren't sitting over here giggling about nothing," he teased, his voice velvety and playful. By the over-exaggerated eye roll Prentiss replied with, Kat assumed that this type of behavior had to be normal. 

"Nope, we're just laughing at you. No big deal." Prentiss replied plainly, her face deadpan. By this point, JJ had walked over to see what all the fuss was about. 

"What's going on here?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest. Her green eyes bounced between all three bodies as she tried to read the situation. "Who are we laughing at?"

"Me, apparently," Morgan replied chuckling to himself. "It's okay, Prentiss. You don't have to try to look cool in front of the intern."

"Oh, I know I don't have to  _try_..." 

Before any of them knew better, Hotch stood firmly behind JJ, looking over them all with his signature glare. "We land in ten. I suggest that you all buckle in," he advised. The corner of his lip quirked up for a moment. "We can all laugh at Morgan for whatever reason after we've done our job." 

Kat strapped herself in and looked up, finding a pair of dark brown eyes locked on her. But just as quickly as she noticed them those same eyes were hurriedly dropping out of her sight. She couldn't help but wonder why Dr. Reid hadn't joined them. Why had he just sat idly by while the rest of them joked and got to know one another? She swallowed at the next thought. Why was he staring at  _her_...?

\- |=| -

The team had gotten straight to work once the plane landed. Hotch and Rossi went directly to the police station to meet up with the local police to get briefed, JJ and Dr. Reid were sent to the home of the most recent victims, and Prentiss, Morgan, and Kat went to the first crime scene. Hotch thought it would be best to get her feet wet on a scene that wasn't currently busy. He also made it a point to mention that since it was still an active crime scene, the clean-up crew hadn't come through yet.

When they got there, the intern was surprised she didn't faint the second she walked through the door. The normally white walls were coated in crimson like a morbid Jackson Pollack painting. Kat could see the stains in the carpet from where the son had been dragged out into the living room from his bedroom. The house was destroyed, almost like a tornado had torn through the middle of it. Morgan made sure to go in first while Prentiss followed behind Kat. 

"What do you see, kid?" Morgan asked, his voice cool and firm. Like it had been back at Headquarters, Kat could tell this side of him was all business. Her response came quick. 

"Blood." 

Prentiss put her hand on Kat's shoulder. "Yes, but what does the scene as a whole tell you? That's what our job is." 

The intern paused for a moment to think about what she'd been told. Taking a second glance, more ideas popped into her mind. It was difficult to pick up but once she had it, Kat felt confident in what she read. 

"Chaos. Not just with the blood but with the entire house," she explained. "It reminds me of home invasions on TV shows, Like someone was looking for something." 

Morgan nodded. "Good. A chaotic scene usually implies a chaotic mind. Which only further helps us understand our Unsub and hopefully why they did this. Good job, Sullivan." 

For the next couple of hours, Prentiss and Morgan walked Kat through the house while asking her essentially the same questions each time they came to a stop. She appreciated the fact that they were giving her an opportunity to find the answers instead of being fed them. She also appreciated the constructive criticisms that came when she miscalculated. Once they were finished they headed to meet up with the rest of the team at the station. They gathered in what appeared to be a tiny left over office to compare notes. 

"Alright, Dave? Morgan?" Hotch asked while gathering more reports into folders, doling them out to the team including Kat. "We three will be going to coordinate the canvas with the local police force. JJ and Prentiss? You will go and speak to the neighbor who made the 911 call. Reid, you'll stay here and go through these reports. Break everything down." He turned to Kat quickly. "Would you mind staying here with Dr. Reid, Miss Sullivan?" he asked. 

Kat looked over at Dr. Reid and she could see that he was already engrossed in whatever file he was reading, zooming through it unlike anything she had ever seen before. Turning to Hotch, she smiled.

"Not at all," she replied calmly. She really didn't mind. Dr. Reid seemed like the kind of person she could learn a lot from and wasn't that the point of her internship?

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The chapter gets a touch graphic. Just so y'all know.

Reid wasted no time getting to work. He immediately began to read through and sort the files into multiple piles and various criteria that only he'd really be able to comprehend. Occasionally though, he'd look up and gaze over at Kat for a second or two as he tried to read her. For the life of him he couldn't understand why she had chosen to stay behind. Did she pity him having to sift through everything by himself? Had she had enough action for one day and wanted something a bit slower? Or maybe she was just genuinely trying to help in whatever capacity she could. Even though she hadn't specifically stayed behind for him, he had to admit it. It was kind of nice to have company. 

"So how long have you been with the Bureau, Dr. Reid?" Kat asked, looking up from a significantly smaller stack than that of the agent. 

Without looking up, he answered robotically. "11 years, 8 months, and 27 days." He continued to read the files as if he were The Flash. 

"Wow," she replied setting down her next file. He was the youngest on the team and she couldn't believe he'd been there so long. Chuckling to herself, she joked with him. "I bet you know it down to the minute, huh?"

Reid finally looked up and gave a small smile of his own. "9 hours and..." He looked down at his watch, "33 minutes." It wasn't often that his colleagues joked  _about,_ rather than at, his memory. 

Kat out down yet another file. "Eidetic memory must be all sorts of helpful," she said with a humored tone in her voice. While she didn't have such a gift, she'd known a couple people throughout her life that had. 

But it wasn't long until Dr. Reid had turned his attention away from her and back onto his files. "It can be," he replied as he continued to read and Kat could see from the expression that the topic could be a slightly sore one. So she chose to alter the conversation's course. 

"Bet that makes counting cards easy too, ever try?" 

He looked up again at her and she knew she'd made the right choice. Maybe profiling was easier than she had anticipated. "I grew up in Las Vegas," he said smoothly, "I was banned from 27 casinos by the time I was 22." He smiled smugly. "You should ask Morgan or Hotch about my 'cheating'."

Before long, a local officer was running into the room, her face red and her breathing ragged. Dr. Reid quickly got to her, asking her what was wrong. 

"They just found another family..." she spoke breathlessly. "Looks like it happened last night. 

Dr. Reid glanced over at the intern and back at the officer. "Sullivan, I need to call Hotch," he said authoritatively  "Stay here with her until her breathing is back to normal?" Kat nodded and slowly came up on the police officer, offering her a bottle of water. They both waited in silence before the good doctor came back. 

"Sullivan," Dr. Reid said calmly, as if preparing for something. "Would you mind coming with me to the scene? Hotch wants us both there." He swallowed. "Unless you think it's too much for you still. I can tell him that I had you stay behind." 

Knowing full well that she wasn't allowed to be on a case without agent supervision, and knowing that an action like that could cost him heavily, Kat shook her head and grabbed her and Dr. Reid's messenger bags. She handed him his while nodding out the door. "Let's go help them." 

Dr. Reid drove them to the next crime scene in one of the Bureau's signature black SUV's but before he let them out, he turned to Kat and looked her dead in the eyes. 

"Sullivan, the ME hasn't gotten here yet, you know what that mean's right?" he asked, his voice soft and somewhat nurturing. He had no idea how an intern would handle such a sight and he wanted to make sure he prepared her as much as he could. 

Kat nodded, swallowing hard before taking her jacket and vest out of her bag. She put on both articles before stepping out of the car and she followed Dr. Reid inside. She was grateful that he had taken the time to prep her, at least somewhat. Not that one could actually prepare for the sight she was about to take in. 

Prentiss was the one to meet them in the foyer, the overwhelming smell of iron lingering in the air. She handed them both a pair of booties to slip over their shoes and took Kat aside while Dr. Reid went to the other members of the team. 

"Okay Sullivan, I'm sure Reid told you what happened," she said coolly. Kat nodded in reply as she awaited further information or instruction. 

"There's a family of three," the agent informed, "and it's not a pretty sight. Make sure to stay to the wall as much as possible, don't get too close, and keep your mind open for anything that seems intriguing. Remember, ask as many questions as you want and contribute if you have something to add." Looking down at the intern, Prentiss placed her hand on Kat's shoulder. "Are you ready?" Kat nodded again and followed Prentiss around the outlier of the room as they made their way to what seemed to be the living room. 

Nothing in the world could have ever prepared her for what would forever be engrained in her memory...

Kat had seen pictures but nothing compared to seeing everything in person. The pictures couldn't prepare her for the scent of blood that stuck to the walls and floor, or the sounds of techs working to collect evidence from wherever they could. When the two women approached the scene, Kat saw the others grouped together in a corner as they looked over the room. 

The mothers were always found in the living room. Kat knew that from the reports. The others had been assaulted and sexually abused and the newest victim appeared no different. She was face down on the floor, naked, surrounded by a pool of blood. Kat noticed the various slashes all over her body, placed in sensitive areas that would increase pain but not aid in the exsanguination process. It made Kat's stomach churn a bit. 

"Do you need to go back outside, Miss Sullivan?" Hotch asked in a quiet voice. They all knew that a gruesome crime scene was hard on anyone let alone a brande new intern. "Prentiss can take you out if needed." 

Shaking her head, Kat followed Prentiss up to the rest of the group, keeping her eyes on the surroundings and not the body. "Where are the other two?" She asked in just as quiet a voice. 

"The boy is in his room, and the father is in the master bedroom," Morgan added as he made his way toward a hallway. She could tell this wasn't their first rodeo by a long shot. "Both shot execution style. We're waiting on the ME but if it's anything like the last two, the kid was taken out first, the mother second, and the father last." 

"Family Annihilator?" asked the intern. "Or Sexual Sadist?" At least her education could help her understand, paired with the information she was constantly downloading from the team. 

"I'd say both," JJ replied, her arms folded over her chest. Among all of them, she was the only one who was a mother and they could all see that the scene made her uneasy. "Maybe something happened to their own family. Something the unsub couldn't control."

Crooking his finger at her, Morgan signaled for Kat to follow him down the hall to the master bedroom. Her eyes met a slightly less disastrous scene. The man's hands were zip tied to the headboard and there was a bullet hole between his eyes. It was like a third eye staring into her soul. His eyes were glassed over and you could tell from the streaks on his face that he'd been crying before he died. There was blood on the floor and the drag marks led to where his wife's body lay in the other room. 

"He listened as his family died..." Kat found herself murmuring, looking all around the room. There were plenty of pictures hung on the walls but there was a seemingly blank space where one was obviously missing. "Agent Morgan, one of the photos is missing." 

Meeting her glance, Morgan eyed the wall analytically. "Looks like you may have found something kid," he said as he called a tech over to print and look over that wall. "Maybe we'll get lucky and they left something behind." He was moving toward the door when he looked back at Kat and looked out across the hall. 

"This might be the hardest," he remarked soothingly, as if he were trying to shield her from what awaited them. "Are you ready?" 

Kat nodded and followed the agent into the boy's room, where she found Dr. Reid standing over the boy's body. The second her eyes found those of the boy, she knew she was going to be sick. She couldn't give them warning before she was running out the door and headed for the closest exit from the house that she could find. Before she knew it, there was a gentle hand on her back and thin, strong fingers gripping her hair as she became violently ill. 

"It's okay," Dr. Reid cooed, his hands never leaving Kat. "It's a perfectly normal response. Just let your body go through it." They stood together as she continued to vomit in the yard and waited for the rest of the team to join them outside before heading back to the station. 


	5. Chapter 5

That particular case lasted for three days. The UnSub had escalated due to their presence and had slipped up in the process, essentially leading the team right to his front door. He had taken the family photos and put them in an album depicting his own family that he kept in his nightstand. In the end, Morgan had been able to arrest him peacefully and without further conflict. When Hotch and Morgan had gone in to interrogate the UnSub, they had allowed Kat to stay with Prentiss in the observation room and watch. They had the guy breaking down within ten minutes. 

The plane trip back to Quantico was a near-silent one. Prentiss and JJ fell asleep almost instantaneously while Morgan curled up in a seat near the back of the jet with his earphones, drowning out everyone else. Hotch and Rossi sat at the table with Dr. Reid in order to start the After Action Reports. That left Kat sitting alone on one of the couches, lost in her own music while reading her beat up copy of The Great Gatsby for the millionth time. She quickly became absorbed by stories of grandiose parties, lies, and the alluring sounds of Rachmaninoff. So much so that she never realized someone had come to sit beside her until she heard the sounds of someone coughing over  _'Symphonic Dances'._

"S-sorry," Dr. Reid sputtered as he stopped coughing. It appeared as though his cup of coffee had gotten the best of him while he got comfortable on the couch. Kat removed her headphones and set them on top of her book in her lap, chuckling softly at her colleague's beverage issues. 

"That's what you get for sneaking up on me," she joked as she leaned over to grab his coffee cup. Without any other exchange she got him a new coffee along with a damp napkin for the spot on his shirt, and brought it back to him on the couch. He greeted her with a somewhat confused look and a small smile before accepting the coffee with a nod. 

"I was hardly 'sneaking'," retorted the doctor, looking down at the coffee in his hands. " It's not my fault you were off on your own planet over here. It made it too easy." Kat feigned shock at such an insinuation, which led to the both of them laughing together quietly as to not bother the rest of the team.

Settling back into her respective corner, Kat kicked off her shoes and pulled her legs underneath her on the couch, placing her treasures on the couch in front of her. It didn't take Dr. Reid very long to fidget a bit before breaking the ice, asking her what she was listening to. Their mutual respect for the pianist led to a conversation that lasted until the plane touched down in Virginia. 

 

\- | = | -

 

Kat had every intention of staying at the office after they had all arrived back at Headquarters in order to finish her observation reports but Hotch had insisted that every member of the team go home and sleep in their own beds. He was the first to leave, then Rossi, soon followed by the rest of the team. The intern was still putting things into her locker so she wouldn't have to constantly remember them in case they traveled often. It wasn't long until Garcia was running into the room and grabbing the other woman by the wrist in order to drag her out of the room. 

"We're all going to the bar across the street," she instructed while shrugging on her coat, nodding to the rack on the wall so Kat would do the same. "And you're new here so we need to get to know you. Where better to do that than in a haven with alcohol?" 

The intern laughed in agreement, allowing the analyst to lead her out the door and down the block. The bar they arrived at allowed them in without so much as a second glance and they were soon attempting to make their way through the throngs of people. It seemed as if Penelope knew exactly where she was headed already. After a lot of linking arms and pushing away plenty of drunk men, they finally found the rest of their team and they looked completely different in the club lights. Prentiss and Morgan were dancing with 'new friends' (as Garcia put it) close by while JJ and Dr. Reid were having drinks at a hightop, holding down the fort. Garcia soon jumped up, hugged the other blonde while sipping JJ's drink. "Look who I brought!" she yelled atop the music. "I figure initiation is in order!"

Dr. Reid and JJ were laughing and Kat couldn't help but join in. It was nice to feel like a part of the team. She had been so scared that they would see her as nothing more than a tag-along but that hadn't been the case. Throughout the previous few days, they had asked for her opinion, expected her input, and kept her in the loop as much as they would another agent. When she applied, she had never anticipated anything like it. 

After a couple rounds of drinks, and a couple more rounds of 'Interrogate the New Kid', Kat found herself left alone with Dr. Reid at the hightop while the rest of the team hit the dance floor. They finished their drinks and he was explaining something about the chemistry of alcohol, eventually convincing Kat that she could have one last round before heading home. 

"How are you getting home tonight?" Dr. Reid questioned over the booming Electronic music, turning his empty glass over in his hands. Kat stopped after getting off her stool and turned to him, trying to make sure he'd be able to hear her over the all the noise. 

"Metro?" she replied, looking down at her watch. It was a quarter to one in the morning and service to her particular stop ended at 2:30, so she figured one last round wouldn't kill her. Hotch had said they could come in at their leisure as long as they were prepared to stay late to finish their paperwork. "This is my last round anyway. I'm good to go as long as I leave here by two." 

The agent looked around and settled his gaze back on Kat. "Last one?" he asked, almost as if he were asking her to promise it to him. 

With an excited nod and a friendly smile, Kat headed to the bar with cash in hand. She nestled herself into a small corner of the bar and flagged the attention of the bartender, only to be approached by some random man who was also waiting for his drinks. It wasn't long before this particular patron had weaseled his way to her side and snaked his arm around her waist. 

"You're too pretty to be here alone," he slurred as he practically tripped over Kat's feet. "My friends and I make for great company." He looked over to the opposite corner of the bar, one that was darker and way more isolated than the one the team occupied, and there were three other gentlemen partying. All were just as lewd and inebriated as the one who was trying to pick her up. 

"Good thing I'm not alone then," Kat replied sarcastically as she finally got the bartender's attention long enough to order another Jameson and Coke, and a water for Dr. Reid. No one liked to drink alone, right? She didn't turn back to the intruder until he pulled her into his side forcefully. 

"Yeah, well you look pretty alone to me," he growled loudly, fumbling to drag her to his friends' lair like setup. Out of the corner of her eye, Kat could make out Morgan coming to her aid but she decided to demonstrate that she could handle herself just fine when necessary. 

"I don't think so," she replied before turning round quickly and flipping his arm around so that it was pinned to his back. He hissed in pain while the bartender dropped off her drink as soon as he possibly could. Kat could still see Morgan coming, but there was a noticeable smile etching itself across his face. Pushing him away toward the dark corner, she screamed over the music again. "Now go back to your neanderthal buddies over there and enjoy your evening."  She grabbed her drinks and made her way to Morgan, who welcomed her with a fist bump and a laugh. 

Kat returned to the team only to find that Reid had left unexpectedly while she'd been dealing with her new found 'friend'. She couldn't help but wonder where he'd gone, or why he'd left so abruptly. Surely that wasn't the first time he'd seen a woman take on someone twice her size. The intern was quickly jogged from her thoughts when everyone wanted to finish their drinks and call it a night as well. Looking down at her watch again, she saw that they were wrapping up just in time for her to catch the last metro train home. Morgan offered to walk her to the stop, and saw that Penelope, Prentiss, and JJ all got into cabs safely. Before she knew it, she was at her front door and getting inside her barely unpacked apartment, dreading the hangover she knew was imminent. 

When she stripped down and got in bed, Kat went to plug in her phone before noticing she had an unread text message. She checked it and smiled when she realized it was Dr. Reid. 

 

> _Hope you made it back to your apartment safely. See you tomorrow._
> 
> _-Reid_

Tucking herself under the covers, Kat shot off a quick reply. 

 

> _Actually, I just got home. See you tomorrow after the hangover starts to fade._

Kat didn't expect the quick response she received. She thought he'd be asleep by then as the timestamp indicated he'd texted her before she had even left the bar. 

 

> _Got any asprin? If not I can bring you some tomorrow. Might help._

She didn't know if it was the booze that was causing her to blush or because she genuinely appreciated his concern and desire to help her. Quickly remembering her place, she shook out her hair and sent one last message. 

 

> _Thanks, Doc, but I think I've got something in one of these boxes. Guess it'll give me an excuse to actually open them. See you tomorrow, Dr. Reid._

Before she knew it, Kat was drifting to sleep. It didn't last long before the images of glassed over eyes and bullet holes haunted her nightmares until the morning creeped in through her window...


	6. Chapter 6

The next few weeks went by without incident. In a month's time, the team had been sent to seven cases across the country. They'd been to small townships and metropolitan meccas. The more carnage and blood Kat came across, the less she slept. It was as if her mind had become consumed by the evil she was witnessing every day. And when she finally  _did_ get to sleep? Her dreams soon morphed into horrific images of all kinds of atrocities. She had nightmares about the children they hadn't saved, the women that had been brutalized like they meant nothing. They cried out to her in her restless sleep, begging for someone to protect them. After every episode, she would wake up drenched in a cold sweat and her chest would heave in search of air. 

But come morning Kat was back at it, starting her days at a quarter to six with a run around the neighborhood. As an intern she had been given a taser to carry (after having to be on the receiving end) so she always made sure she had it on her. She didn't know if that was the paranoia from all the violence she'd encountered in the past month or because she was genuinely being cautious. After the run she would shower at her finally furnished apartment, eat a quick breakfast, and head out the door to catch the Metro to the FBI building. She was usually one of the first ones in the office, apart from Dr. Reid and Hotch, and enjoyed the opportunity for a leisurely start to her day. That also allowed the copious amounts of coffee she had become addicted to to kick in before a majority of the team arrived. 

However, one morning after a particularly long and sleepless night, Kat had gotten to work later than she usually did, only beating Garcia to the office. She'd hurried to take her seat in order to get to work but had completely forgotten about her coffee in her rush. Before she knew it, there was a mug set down on her desk, with the three packets of sugar and two different creamers she usually used. 

"You like both the vanilla and the caramel, right?" Dr. Reid asked while handing her a spoon from the break room. "Sorry, it's the Eidetic memory." 

No one had ever noticed how she took her coffee before and it made Kat smile softly. What made her feel worse was that he felt as if he had to apologize for using his great gift to do something nice for someone else. Looking up at him, the intern showed her smile and patted his shoulder gently, surprised that he didn't flinch or move away from her. 

"Thank you, Dr. Reid," she said kindly, mixing her coffee as she continued to speak to him. She took a sip before talking to him again. "I really appreciate it. I don't know how much longer I would have survived without it." 

The good doctor smiled back, as if he'd been given a gold star in class, and nodded before going back to his desk. It wasn't to far from her own, and Kat could notice that he would glance over at her every time she brought the mug to her lips. She couldn't help but think it was one of the most adorable sights she had ever witnessed. Not to mention having her coffee seemed to make the terrible night she had endured disappear from her memory. 

Around one o'clock in the afternoon, Kat was shocked by the sight of Morgan in workout gear seating atop her desk, his face beaming as he looked down at her. 

"You know what today is, girl?" he asked, his excitement obvious in his voice. Without even giving her a moment to answer, he clapped his hand onto her shoulder and shook her a bit. "It's Hand to Hand training day! Get up, get dressed, and meet me in the gym in twenty. Okay?"

With a nod, Kat got up from her seat and set off for the locker room. She'd finally gotten it set up the way she wanted where it contained a set of workout clothes, a couple different professional outfits, and various other necessities. It didn't take her long to get ready and when she arrived in the tiny office gymnasium, she saw the whole team was there lining the room, as if they wanted to ensure they had the best seats in the house. They had seen how she handled herself at the bar when she'd first arrived, and they were looking forward to seeing how much else the intern knew. 

The outfit she'd put on consisted of yoga capris, with a bright blue sports bra, a black tank top, and her hair pulled up high on her head. She wore solid black sneakers, which she took off once she hit the mat, and had taped both her middle and ring fingers together. As much as Kat detested violent behavior, learning JiuJitsu had been therapeutic for her. It allowed her to take control when she needed and made her feel safe. She was also competitive, which Agent Morgan seemed to hone in on. 

After they both stretched a bit, Morgan came to her and extended his hand to her. "Show me what you got, kid," he instructed playfully. "Don't hold back. And remember...," he tussled her hair just enough to get the wisps to fall into her face, "...you can always tap."

Kat pushed Morgan's hand from her hair, a wicked grin settling onto her lips. The team ooo'd and ahhh'd as the two on the mat took their positions. Hotch came up between them to remind them that it was a _friendly_ match, not with an UnSub, so they were to behave as such. With one final nod to one another, and a wink from Morgan, he came at Kat quickly after Hotch moved away. The intern rolled to evade him, landing off to his right side. He came at her again but she swept his legs from under him, causing him to fall to the mat. Morgan quickly rolled on top of Kat, pinning her tightly to the sounds of the team cheering them on. Before long, Kat had been able to get her leg around his side and flipped the two of the over, now pinning Morgan beneath her tiny frame. 

"Look at you go, spider monkey!" Morgan jeered as he quickly flipped himself over and away from her. "Who knew you had moves like that? I'm actually impressed!"

Kat bowed comedically in his direction, laughing along with the rest of the team. "No one ever does," she replied with a beaming smile. "I prefer to be full of surprises." Walking over to where Morgan was still crouching on the mat, Kat held her hand out to him in order to help him up, which he accepted graciously. "So does that mean I pass?"

"I'd say so," Hot replied quickly, walking over to the two of them once more. "She was able to get you down, wasn't she?"

"And it only took her two minutes and fifty three seconds to do so," Dr. Reid added purposely, as a brother would do to another brother. Morgan quickly threw a sarcastic glance at the young doctor, causing the team to laugh. 

"Why don't you try and take her then, huh Pretty Boy?" Morgan questioned, closing in on Dr. Reid as if he were going to grab and pull the other gentleman on the mat. Dr. Reid quickly evaded and the entire team erupted into fits of laughter. Once they had settled again, Hotch officially passed Kat on her hand-to-hand combat training and she took off for the locker room to shower. When she returned, there was no one left in the office. Penelope's lair was shut down for the day, all the monitors displaying various different pictures of the team. There were pictures of them at dinners, at Bureau ballgames, in the bullpen, and in a bunch of other places. They reminded Kat of the kind of photos a family would take. She stood in the doorway taking in the images when Dr. Reid's voice came from behind her, dragging her back to reality. 

"I thought you might want help getting to Rossi's," he said warmly, coming to gaze upon the pictures alongside her. When he settled next to her, it was like the heater had been turned on in the entire building. That light, warming feeling shot through her as she tried to move away from him. Noticing her discomfort, Dr. Reid tried to rectify the situation he thought was at hand. "Don't worry, you'll be up there before you know it. She just hasn't had her camera on her recently." 

He looked down at Kat and they smiled at one another. His bright eyes locked on her crystal blues for what seemed like an eternity before he turned to guide them to the elevators. "Come on, or we'll miss all the fun." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading guys! I'm having a lot of fun with this story. I hope you like where it's going and thanks for joining me on this adventure. :)


	7. Chapter 7

It only took Dr. Reid and Kat twenty minutes by Metro to get to Rossi's house. The two of them spent that time as they usually did, discussing things like Kat's education, his exceptional gifts, and various other subject areas. Their conversation always flowed organically from one topic to another and never ceased. It took them walking up to Rossi's front door in order to finally end their excited chattering. The older agent opened the door and stood in the frame, smiling with a dishtowel draped over his shoulder and a glass of wine in his free hand. By the rose coloring beginning to emerge in his cheeks, Kat could tell hit had to be at least glass number two. 

"Glad you two finally decided to join us," Rossi chided playfully, gesturing them both inside. Kat's eyes went a tad wide at the sight of his home. She knew that he was a bestselling author. Maybe it was the FBI Agent part that didn't seem to fit their surroundings. There were fine works of art hanging on the walls, and expensive pieces of leather furniture scattered all about what seemed to be the living room. The ceilings were vaulted and the lighting was soft and welcoming. "Spencer, you've been here before, grab yourself and Miss Sullivan a glass of wine, huh?" He turned to find the young doctor walking off into a small room down a corridor not too far from where they were standing. 

"Thank you for inviting me, Agent Rossi," Kat said appreciatively, a warm, genuine smile coming to her lips. "And please, no need to call me "Miss Sullivan". "Kat will work just fine. Makes me feel like I'm back at school." 

Pretending to scrutinize her a bit, Rossi quickly looked the intern up and down. "Alright, 'Kat' it is," he replied, ushering her toward what seemed to be the kitchen. Her heart skipped a beat at the sight of that man's kitchen. She absolutely loved to cook and Rossi pretty much owned her dream kitchen. She could see why the team gathered there. The house was too big for just Rossi, but it was wide open and inviting for his loved ones. After seeing the pictures on Garcia's monitors, Kat could tell that some of them had been taken in that very same room. 

"Look guys, Spencer brought  _Kat_ ," Rossi remarked dryly, making sure to emphasize the name preference. She couldn't help but chuckle and shake her head in response. 

"Come on and sit over next to me," JJ instructed, patting the stool beside hers. Every member of the team was seated around Rossi's rather large kitchen island as he prepared dinner for them on the gas range. It was almost like some kind of live cooking demonstration with him instructing as he went on to whoever was listening in. The team had all changed into something far more comfortable than their traditional attire and it was nice to see everyone interacting and spending time together in such an loving setting. When Dr. Reid came back, he took a seat in the only stool left, the one beside Kat, and handed her a glass of red wine. 

"You seem like more of a Red kind of person," he murmured softly as his fingers brushed against hers, passing off the glass slowly as to 'not spill a single drop.' Whenever his skin touched hers, it felt as if that tiny portion of her had been set aflame. It worried Kat immensely. She knew that fraternizing with agents was forbidden, and if anything happened she would have to be moved to another team at best, worst case she was removed from the program. She had come to care for the team exponentially and she would be devastated if she had to be transferred. 

"Good call on that one," Kat commended, playfully tipping her glass in Dr. Reid's direction, who reciprocated the gesture. The rest of the table was full of unintelligible chatter between everyone whether it was asking about family, or someone's hobby. Eventually the conversations strayed to work and they all took turns ensuring that they didn't dwell on that particular topic for long. After all, you never talked business over family dinner, at least that's what they were told. When Rossi finally put the homemade lasagna in the oven, the team splintered off in various directions, with Penelope taking Kat on the grand tour. 

Back in the kitchen, Hotch and Rossi kept Dr. Reid behind with them for a moment. He could tell by the stern looks in their eyes that what they were about to say was coming from a superior and not a friend. 

"Reid, do we need to have a conversation about Miss Sullivan?" Hotch questioned, his voice laced in concern. He wasn't blind, he had watched the other agent steal glances of Kat when she wasn't paying attention. Hotch had seen the way he took care of her after her first case with the team. There was something there, but the unit chief needed to hear about it straight from the source if he was to do anything about it. 

Dr. Reid forced his gaze to meet that of his supervisors, putting on the best face he could. If he was being honest, he did have to admit that he enjoyed being around her. They laughed together, smiled together, and always worked well together. However, he kept trying to ignore all those things because he knew she was an intern, he knew the rules. He felt as if she was off limits, especially to someone like him. A girl like her was out of his reach and he knew that. It didn't stop him from glancing at her from time to time though. So instead of romantically pursuing her, Dr. Reid had channelled all that into more of a mentor role, aiding her when she had problems at work, correcting her observation reports before she handed them in to Hotch. If he couldn't be her boyfriend, at least she could be a great friend.

"No, Hotch, we don't," Dr. Reid answered quietly, as if he didn't want to admit it even to himself. He was content with watching her from afar and providing assistance whenever she asked. "We're just friends. I value her as a member of our team. She's contributed to more than she realizes." Hotch nodded in reply, acknowledging the truth in the doctor's statements. Reid swallowed while he dropped his gaze to his Converse-clad feet and shoved his hands into the pockets of his dark corduroy pants. "I promise. There won't be any issues." 

Before he could say anything else, Hotch's cell phone began to ring and everyone knew what that meant. An eerie quiet fell over the team as they stood with their glasses, their eyes fixated on their leader and awaiting his instruction. The stone cold face that fell over Hotch told them everything they needed to know. It was a bad one. 

The phone snapped shut and Hotch's eyes snapped up. "We're going to Vermont. Wheels up in thirty and we'll brief on the plane." His eyes soon turned to Kat. "Sullivan, you have the option. You can come with us or I can leave you with another team until we return. Which do you prefer?"

Without hesitation, or second thought, Kat replied firmly. "I'll go if you guys will take me." How could she let her friends go out into something so terrible that Hotch couldn't even speak about it? Plus, she knew if she stayed behind, she'd just bunk up with Garcia in her lair anyway. So she might as well go. 

Hotch nodded. "Okay, make that 45 minutes until wheels up. We need to back to Headquarters to get Sullivan a firearm..." 


	8. Chapter 8

Every time the jet hit an air pocket, Kat was reminded of the newly assigned 9mm Glock settled on her hip. Hotch had explained the severity of the case on their way back to Headquarters and she had to admit, it was gruesome. An UnSub was taking women and torturing them in the most heinous ways. And the briefing had only made her all the more sick over it. The women were all of average build and looks and came from different backgrounds. There were seven victims in total and the UnSub didn't show any signs of slowing down, hence the reason why the team had been requested in the first place. 

Within minutes of landing in Louisiana, they were met by the Mandeville police and escorted to the station. As always, a separate room had been set up for them with their white boards and the files from all the cases. A coffee pot had been set up in the room as well, a touch Penelope liked to throw in. She said it was her way of taking care of them when she wasn't around. As soon as they had settled around the table, Hotch and the team got to work. They combed through every aspect of those women's lives, from where they shopped for their groceries to the gyms they went to. They searched for commonalities between lawn maintenance companies, doctors' offices, and frequented restaurants. After six hours they were still coming up blank. 

"There's very little here to connect them," Dr. Reid murmured as he looked up from what had to be his hundredth file. There were all kinds of notes and pictures up on the boards by that point and they were all growing restless. "Two of the seven went to the same gym, another three went to the same nail salon, two were members of the same church..." Everyone tuned in closely as Dr. Reid rattled off the rest of the analytical facts they had discovered, putting together all the information into a timeline as they went along. 

After a couple more hours going back and forth between them all, Hotch decided it was best for everyone to head off to the hotel and get some sleep. There was no more they could do with the information they had, and they were all incredibly exhausted, so he thought it best to look back over everything with fresh eyes in the morning. They took two SUV's and it was a quick trip down the highway, Kat practically silent the entire time. Not only was it difficult to keep her eyes open, but it was difficult to keep her mind off everything they'd been delving into. All she could do was hope that she didn't wake her roommate over the course of the night. 

When they all met up in the lobby with their bags, Hotch assigned rooms to the team. He'd be sleeping in his own room and Rossi and Morgan would have the room next to that. Across the hall would be JJ and Dr. Reid with Prentiss and Kat sharing the room beside them. It always felt nice to have the team so nearby but she also hated it too. On the last trip she'd screamed in her sleep and the entire team had stared at her like she had grown four heads over night. Dr. Reid had ended up giving her a book on lucid dreaming in hopes of helping, and it had for a little while, but the nightmares had been getting worse as of late.

It didn't take Prentiss long to fall asleep once they'd gotten into their room. She was out like a light the second her head hit the pillow. Looking at the bright red numbers floating in the dark, Kat sighed at the fact that it was only 10:00PM. She continued to lay, surrounded by silence, for another hour and a half before grabbing her book and throwing on her Brown sweatshirt. After wandering about the hotel for a few minutes, she came across a quiet corner of what appeared to be the breakfast area and settled into a large, worn, padded armchair.

Before she knew it, she was being regaled by stories of Arthur and his knights. Instead of slaying women, the knights were slaying dragons. They were saving the ladies-in-waiting and protecting the villagers. It was all those stories that had made her want to go into the Criminal Justice field to begin with. She wanted to be one of those knights that saved the innocent people. Now she was seated at the Round Table, surrounded by the very best knights the King had to offer. It was an honor to serve with them, even if it was for a limited amount of time. 

Someone cleared their throat from a distance just loud enough for Kat to hear them. Grateful for the warning, she looked up and found Dr. Reid standing before her, still fully dressed. When she looked up at him, she couldn't help but smile warmly and invite him to come join her. He smiled in return before perching himself on the armrest across from her, exhaustion written in his eyes. 

"I used to ask my mom to read that book to me all the time," he remarked quietly, his smile still etched onto his lips. That didn't surprise Kat at all, especially with his mother having been a literature professor. 

"So who's your favorite?" Kat asked, placing her ribbon back into the book to hold her page. She cocked her head to the side so she could look up at him and returned his smile. 

"Sir Gawain," Reid replied definitively. "He was the most trustworthy friend of Lancelot, and was a fiercely loyal warrior. Not to mention he was a total ladies' man." They both laughed at his joke briefly before they both fell silent. It was comfortable and they didn't take their eyes off each other before Reid looked away. His voice fell to slightly louder than a whisper. "Are you sleeping any better?"

Kat sighed before nestling into the back of the armchair. "Not by much," she reported back just as quietly, "The book helped for while, but they've started getting worse recently." Looking back, she could see the disappointment written over his face and quickly attempted to rectify the situation. "But I appreciate your trying to help, Dr. Reid." 

Reid cleared his throat awkwardly. "You don't have to call me 'Doctor'.  They just introduce me that way so that people actually respect me as an agent. But you don't have to call me that." 

The intern chuckled softly. "Then what would you prefer I call you?" She noticed that his cheeks had taken on a crimson color and that his hands were slightly fidgeting on top of the armchair. She found it kind of cute. 

His eyes met hers again and his smile returned. "Would you mind calling me 'Spencer'?" 

Kat shifted her eyes as if she were thinking it over. "Only if you call me Kat," she said with a slight grin. "Or Kathleen if you're so bold. You might be the only one apart from my mother who picks that one, but it's up for grabs nonetheless." 

Spencer copied Kat's mocking eye rolls, causing her to laugh even more. "I think I kind of like "Kathleen"," he answered, settling his feet back on the floor and shifting his weight away from her. The sudden change caused her to look at her watch and the time surprised her. It was already a quarter 'til midnight. 

"Well  _Spencer_ ," she teased, motioning back toward the hallway that contained their rooms. He was already standing and moving toward her, his hands shoved in his pockets as per usual. When he was in her vicinity, she could feel heat rising behind her cheeks, causing her to look down the hall. "I think it's time for us to get to bed." 

They walked to the grouping of rooms in silence, Kat's novel dangling from her hand between them. Her heart was beating slightly faster and as they neared their rooms her stomach was doing somersaults. These moments had started happening every time they were alone together, whether that was at the office, on a case, or even at Rossi's. But she had to keep her distance. She didn't want to get removed from the program and she certainly didn't want anything to fall back on Spencer. Not to mention she was just an intern and he was a full fledged agent with immeasurable talent. 

Kat was about to go into her room when she heard the faintest "Goodnight Kathleen" before hearing Spencer's door shut behind him. With her heart still racing, she crawled into bed and fell asleep to the sounds of Prentiss breathing, with a faint and fleeting smile. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter is gonna have some interesting stuff! Stay tuned ;)


	9. Chapter 9

Spencer Reid had  _no idea_ as to what he was doing. 

Kathleen Sullivan was an FBI Intern, a college student, someone who had joined the BAU at the chance to obtain immeasurable information and exceptional instruction. She hadn't come with the idea of getting involved with anyone, not that she could even if she had. Reid had checked the agent manual after the two of them had begun getting along so he knew full well what could happen if he pursued her. Best case? She was transferred to another team, and teams rarely saw each other what with all the traveling they do and whatnot. Teams hardly needed to interact because they usually had their own everything down to their own support staff. And worst case? She'd be asked to leave her program and he would be to blame. He couldn't be the one responsible for ruining her future. 

But if he was being honest? Spencer  _loved_ spending time with Kathleen. Their conversations were always intriguing and she never seemed bored by him or his rambling. He was able to talk to her about lectures he'd attended, his favorite books, everything down to how fax machines worked. Everything they discussed was exhilarating. They were a great team as well, using each other as reference points in order to bounce ideas around. They usually ended up working together on various projects and every time went smoothly. They pushed each other in different ways than the rest of the team and Spencer found that to be incredibly satisfying. 

After walking back to their respective rooms, and after saying goodnight, he'd tried to get back to his bed without facing on of JJ's interrogations. Of course he had no such luck. 

"And where have you been, young man?" JJ mocked, sitting up in her bed with her hair pulled back and glasses on. It was obvious she had waited for him to return to their room, typical of the sibling-like relationship they shared. 

"I went for a walk around the hotel," he lied, pulling off his Converse and placing them by the dresser. He quickly grabbed his pajamas and ducked into the bathroom before she could ask anymore questions. Unfortunately for him, she didn't plan on letting that stop her. 

"Yeah, like I really believe that," she replied sarcastically, rolling her eyes even if he couldn't see her. "Did Sullivan join you?" 

Spencer dressed quickly before barging out of the bathroom and into their room. He hated talking to the team about anything remotely romantic. They were merciless, teasing him about every blush in his cheeks and every longing look at his cell phone. It wasn't that they were more experienced than he was, they just felt as if they were. His friends were profilers so he couldn't really keep anything from them. They eventually found out everything every time he thought he finally had them. This time was no different. 

"I ran into her in the lobby, she was reading," Reid answered quickly, trying to get in bed so that the incessant questioning would finally end. That was a failure as well. 

"I'm sure you just happened to run into her," JJ teased, sitting down on the edge of her bed and reaching out to lovingly rub Spencer's upper arm. "Come on, you can tell me anything. You know that. What's going on?" 

Swallowing, Spencer rolled over and faced her. He wasn't sure if he should voice everything that had recently been on his mind. Just saying it out loud was risky, well, in his mind anyway. "I don't want to be the reason she has to leave the program," he admitted softly, as if he feared Kat hearing him on the other side of the wall their rooms shared. "The interns can't fraternize with the agents." 

JJ sat back on her hands, still looking over Spencer with a twinge of judgement. "So you're just _not_ going to say anything to her?" she asked, her voice soft. She loved Spencer, all she wanted was for him to be happy. He deserved that just as much as anyone else on the team. And Kat certainly made him smile. JJ had seen the way they interacted, the way they looked at each other when they thought no one was paying attention. He was right though. It was against the rules unless she was moved to another team and that was unacceptable. Kat had become a valued member of the team and JJ couldn't imagine sending her away for any reason. 

"That's the plan," Spencer replied, rolling onto his back and looking up at the ceiling. In his mind, he could see the two of them going to all sorts of planetariums, lectures, and conventions. He could imagine cooking dinner together and going for walks around the port. He wanted to see her outside of work as well as during business hours. He just hated that he couldn't.  "I've looked into all the possible options and 'not telling her' seems to have the best outcome, for everyone involved." At least this way he could still be her friend and she wouldn't have the unending desire to run away. 

JJ sighed as she laid back in her own bed, turning out the light before she pulled the covers over. She thought hard about what she wanted to say and took a deep breath before speaking again. "I would tell her, Spence," she murmured softly, her voice floating through the darkness of their hotel room. "Even if you can't do anything about it now, she won't be our intern in little under a year. Some things are worth the wait, don't you think?"

Spencer analyzed all the facts over a million times before he could hear JJ's breathing level out. He knew she was right, he really should tell Kathleen. What he needed to do was wait until the timing was right, and it seemed as if the next ten months, three weeks, and four days would creep by. He settled on the fact that eventually he'd be able to tell her, and hopefully nothing changed that in the months to come. By then the worst possible result would be her denying him, at least he wouldn't be responsible for jeopardizing a once-in-a-lifetime chance for her. He drifted off to sleep imagining all the things they might do together once this year was over and for the first time in a long while, he slept clear through the night and only awoke once the morning light hit his eyes. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's a little shorter than normal, but I wanted to throw Spencer's POV in there a little bit. Plus, I always loved the bond between him and JJ. 
> 
> Next chapter is already being tweaked so stay tuned! It's bound to be an attention grabber...


	10. Chapter 10

Kat was surprised to make it through the night without waking herself or anyone else. She still woke up in a puddle of cold sweat but at least Prentiss made it a point to mention that the intern appeared "well rested". Kat would take "well rested" over the constant staring any day of the week. 

In under half an hour, she and Prentiss were both showered, dressed, and fed, waiting on the rest of the team. It didn't take very long for everyone to reconvene, so they were on the road back to the police station in no time. Once they got there, the team picked up where they had left off the night before, trying to figure out the victimology. They read and reread the case files, reviewed the interviews, and questioned the responding officers again. All the paths led to nowhere, causing a few members of the team to become restless. Unfortunately, they didn't have to wait around long before "new evidence" was brought in. 

Nightly patrols had found a new victim off the road into the downtown area. The second they heard the news, Hotch assigned different jobs to different agents. Spencer and Rossi were sent to the Medical Examiner's Office, JJ, Prentiss, and Kat were going to the dump site, and Morgan and Hotch were going to talk to the victim's husband. The three girls jumped into the SUV and made their way to the off ramp in record time, hoping to find anything that could help them in their quest for information. What they found, both surprised and worried them...

Written on the wall in what appeared to be the victim's blood was a taunt directed at them, " **YOU'RE RUINING MY FUN**." The site caused chills to travel up Kat's spine. The UnSub was more intelligent than they had given them credit for. They knew the FBI was poking around and they knew that meant their time was up. She couldn't lie, the thought kind of terrified her. 

As if JJ could tell, she gently placed her hand atop Kat's shoulder, her thumb lazily dragging against Kat's sweater. "This isn't the first time and it won't be the last," she whispered, her voice heavier than normal. Kat could tell it still affected the older agent even if JJ was trying to be supportive for the youngest addition to the team. "We'll get 'em, don't even sweat it." 

Prentiss appeared beside them, holding up a small plastic baggie which contained what appeared to be a piece of latex. "One of the officers found this by the body," she reported, motioning over to a female officer who was standing off to the side filling out reports with one of the Crime Scene Technicians. "Officer Charles said she was preserving the scene for CSIs when she found it by the victim's left foot. The techs bagged it for us. Maybe they'll get lucky and find something." They spent the next hour interviewing all the officers and techs on the scene, getting them back to the station before anyone else. 

The three of them sat down at the conference room table and added their newly acquired information into the pre-constructed puzzle that was their case. They were soon joined by Hotch and Morgan, and they all shared what they'd learned with the other party. Apparently the wife had been out with a girlfriend when she was taken, meaning that there could be a witness somewhere in town. Or another victim. 

Once Rossi and Spencer arrived, everyone was again on the same page. They'd come up with a basic profile based on the dump sites, the characteristics of each woman, and multiple other variables. Spencer had come up with a vague geographical profile which indicated the UnSub lived somewhere within a fifteen mile radius from downtown. They were getting ready to assemble the other officers when a commotion began to arise in the main squad room. Before long, all Kat could hear was yelling and screaming, mostly officers instructing someone to put a weapon away. Turned out that they didn't have to look for their UnSub for he had come to them, and he'd brought company.

Looking up and out through the window, Kat finally had a face to go along with all the horrendous images she had seen in the past couple of days. He was lithe with salt and pepper hair, however, he couldn't have been older than forty. His entire body was shaking as he held the gun to their latest victim's friend. All it took was one glance and Kat could see the evil burning in his eyes. His gaze contained no mercy, no remorse, just a bloodlust unlike anything the young intern had ever seen. The young woman was covered in what appeared to be arterial spatter (no doubt from her friend) and her face was streaked in dirt and dried tears. Kat's heart broke for her, wishing there was more they could do. 

Next thing she knew, Hotch had instructed her to stay behind in the conference room while they went in to assist the other officers, all with guns drawn and at the ready. Spencer shot her a small glance before following the rest of the team out into the squad room, leaving Kat alone with nothing but their profile. Taking advantage of the moment, she looked over the victims again and noticed something new after a couple of minutes. She wanted to kick herself for not seeing it before. All the victims had stunning gray eyes that stared back at her from their photographs, a trait that she happened to share with them. 

It was right then that she came up with a plan, one she was sure could work if she played her cards right. Reaching up, she pulled her clip out of her hair, allowing her black hair to fall on her shoulders. Making sure her gun was on her hip, and that her cell phone was in her back pocket, Kat took a deep breath and walked out of the room before she could change her mind. She was dead-set on helping this terrified woman in anyway she could, even if it meant risking more than she'd ever imagined possible. Closing the door behind her caused Hotch, and Spencer, to look toward her, the elder agent giving her the coldest glare she'd ever received. 

"Sullivan, return to the conference room at once," he instructed firmly, his gun never leaving the target. "That's nonnegotiable." 

It was too late though, the UnSub locking eyes with Kat almost immediately. She realized how correct her idea had been the second his grasp started loosening on his hostage. Morgan noticed it too, making sure to lean over toward Hotch in order to explain what he believed was going on. 

"It's okay, Hotch, I'm just going to swap places with her," Kat said calmly, slowly making her way toward the pair. She cocked her head gently, holding her hands up in front of her. Her next question was directed at the UnSub. "That's okay with you, right? If I trade with her?" She was close enough to see the fear in the woman's eyes, and the hope at one of them saving her from her abductor. 

Everyone watched as the UnSub actually considered it. It was as if they could watch the gears in his mind turning. Hotch was red in the face and Kat could see Spencer gripping the life out of his gun in order to keep him from shaking. The entire team just watched as everything transpired, their guns aimed down the room the entire time. They were all afraid, including her, but she knew it was just something she had to do. That woman had never signed up for anything like she had experienced and if Kat could save her from future suffering? She had to at least try. 

Kat closed the space between them in a few breathless minutes, now standing between the officers and the UnSub and creating a human shield. "Let her go and I'll go with you," she said calmly, trying to keep her volume down and her heart from breaking through her chest. She didn't have long to dwell in that feeling before the UnSub grabbed her, wrapping his arm around her neck, and releasing the sobbing woman. 

The last thing Kat saw before being pulled out of the station was Prentiss dropping her gaze, JJ rushing to the woman's side, Hotch reaching for his phone, and Spencer just watching her disappear through the front door...


	11. Chapter 11

She was  _gone_. 

Spencer could do nothing but stare, terrified as the UnSub abducted Kat. It was as if he were frozen to that very spot. He could see Hotch out of the corner of his eye heading to the conference room while on the phone with Section Chief Cruz, his voice as stern as ever. Morgan was coordinating a search of the area indicated by Spencer's geographical profile with the local officers. JJ was with the latest abductee and Prentiss was standing beside him, her hand grasping his shoulder firmly in order to alert him to her presence. 

He could vaguely hear the sound of Prentiss' voice cutting through his mental fog, catching almost every other word. She was attempting to console him, that much he could understand, but everything else? It was nothing but incoherent mutterings. Why had Kat volunteered to swap places with that other woman in the first place? She knew _exactly_ what would happen to her, why had she chosen to be blatantly insubordinate? Hotch had commanded her to stay inside the conference room. She wasn't even an agent! She was just an intern. At least the rest of the team was trained on how to deal with these type of situations, hell, he'd been taken more than once. That man was experiencing a psychotic break and she offered herself without thinking twice. Either she was the most selfless person he'd ever met or the most stupid. 

The only thing to pull Spencer from his thoughts was Rossi standing before him, barking his name. "Snap out of it, Kid," he said sternly, slowly taking away Spencer's gun and placing it on the desk beside them without breaking their stare down. The world came back into focus as the doctor shook his head. 

"Why her?" he murmured, rushing back to the conference room. Sitting in the same chair she had, he took a look around the room as he tried to put himself in her shoes. The team was quick to follow in hopes of Boy Genius making a much needed breakthrough in a time crunch. Spencer turned to them, his body language reading a bit frantic. 

"We barely have a profile of this guy, Reid," Morgan said calmly as he took a seat beside Spencer. Planting his elbows on the solid wood table, he started wringing his hands together as he contemplated what they actually knew. "He's a sexual sadist, who's psychotic, and taking seemingly random women." When he said it out-loud, it reminded them all of how little they had to go on, a reminder none of them really needed. 

The rest of them soon joined the other two and began doing what they do best. They went back at it in order to find their teammate. Spencer was off on his own little world, trapping himself at the boards and never letting his eyes stray for more than a couple of seconds. All the information from the files was flowing though his head as he stared at the pictures of the victims. It took him a few minutes of that before it hit him like a Mack truck, causing him to wonder how he hadn't caught it before. Now that he'd found them, those familiar eyes were trained on him and they lit a fire under his ass.

Running to the phone, Spencer got Garcia on the line in lightning speed. 

"Give me something, anything," she begged, her fear clearly evident in her voice. "I've been sitting here waiting. Utilize me." The team stared on as he continued his genius revelation. 

"Garcia, look for women who had grey eyes who died around the time the police found the UnSub's first victim," Spencer instructed, his voice unwavering. "It's someone close so look at wives, mothers, and sisters. And she probably died suddenly."

"You got it Junior G-Man," the 'Goddess of all things Tech' replied. They could all hear her busily clacking away at her keyboard, using her computer like the weapon it was. It didn't take her long to find something. "There are two women who have died in the past year who have had grey eyes. One of which had a husband who seems like he could be worth taking a look at." Before they knew it, they all had a mugshot displayed prominently on their iPads with Spencer looking over JJ's shoulder. Lo and behold, the man they were looking at and the UnSub were the same man. "His name is Joseph Kaztenburg and his wife's name was Ruth. She was murdered and the case is still open. Her husband was Supect-o Numero Uno." More clacking ensued. "And now you all have his address. Bring our fledgling home, okay?"

"We will, Mama," Morgan replied, the team quickly adjusting as they stood and made for the door. "Thanks to you. Talk soon." Everyone had left the room but Spencer and Hotch and as the younger agent made his way to the door, the elder grabbed onto his upper arm, his grasp firm.

"You know how this could end," he said softly, like an adult trying to break bad news to a child. It was obvious that Spencer cared deeply for Kat but he wasn't sure if that would affect Spencer's ability to do his job in this particular situation. He needed to be able to keep his cool, to think logically, to be the human computer the team relied on. Hotch knew how Spencer did when it came to matters of the heart. He just hoped that the kid didn't have to watch another woman he cared for, die. 

Spencer nodded, shifting his revolver so it was perfectly placed on his belt and so that he could have something else to focus on. He knew what could happen to Kat, what  _could_ be happening to her as they spoke. The worst images in the world began to pass before his eyes before he shook them loose. "Can we go find her now? Please?" He couldn't have hid the desperation in his voice if he wanted to. They needed to go get her and bring her back to Quantico. They needed to stop a murderer. They needed to save her from a monster and time was just flying by as they chatted at the station. 

It didn't take much longer for the team to be in two signature black SUVs, lights and sirens blaring, hurtling to their captive teammate's aid...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey y'all. I'm really looking for some valuable feedback so I can fine tweak this story. If you have anything you think would help, let me know!


	12. Chapter 12

The second the basement door slammed shut and she could hear the latch engaging in the lock, Kat writhed against the rope restraints that held her in place. Her lithe wrists burned as she pulled against the rickety wooden chair Joe had tied her to, cursing under her ragged breath. Adrenaline was coursing through her veins and she was practically consumed by fear. While she didn't regret her choice to save that poor woman, she also hadn't really thought the outcome through very well. This man tortured, sodomized, and killed his victims, probably in the room in which she was already contained...

**What had she been thinking?**

She was a FBI intern. Not an agent. She had absolutely no training on how to handle situations like the one she found herself in. She had found the answer and used it to her advantage without ever considering how that choice would effect the end of the "game" he'd been playing. But she had also been given a direct order to stay inside the conference room by her direct supervisor. All she could do was hope that Spencer had found the trail of breadcrumbs too and that they'd find her soon enough.  

What if she didn't make it out? Just acknowledging the thought alone made Kat shudder. When she had gotten up that morning, the last thing she had expected to do was become a victim herself. 

 _No. Not victim._ Kat reminded herself.  _Hostage. Pawn. Whatever, but not victim._ She was no one's victim yet. 

But the thought lingered. What if the last time she saw them all was truly the last time? Her stomach churned and her face paled as her mind betrayed her, showing her images she desperately didn't want to see. Images of the team bursting through the basement door, hope written across their faces, only to find what was left of their friend. Of a sobbing Penelope and a silent Spencer. No matter how much she tried, the broken intern just couldn't rid herself of the dark thoughts that had begun to creep into her mind. 

Kat shook her head softly as it dropped forward, resting her wrists for a moment. She was already so tired from struggling, and her wrists were already blistered and bleeding. She couldn't afford to sleep though because she had to come up with a plan. She couldn't just let that bastard win. She _had_ to find a way out.  Before she could start stringing things together, Kat's thoughts shifted to Spencer and those last few moments before she was taken. There were so many emotions written in his eyes as he stood there pointing a gun at the man who would soon disappear with her; sadness, fear, anger, betrayal, the whole kit and caboodle. Even as she was yanked through the doorway, she kept her eyes on Spencer's as if she were trying to find the strength to continue down the path she'd chosen. 

There had to be a way to get into Joe's head, all she had to do was find it. Maybe those months with the BAU would help her, assuming she could properly apply it all. One thing Prentiss had drilled into Kat's head was the fact that once one starts giving a profile, it's either right or wrong. Knowing she only got one chance didn't help calm her in the slightest. Forcing herself to analyze her surroundings, the intern made mental notes about everything she saw. Kat could tell she was in some kind of basement, the only door located at the top of the stairs and the only window was across the room from her, up out of reach. Finding it unsecured confused her. There was a bed in the northwest corner, decorated modestly with a matching night table. Atop the table was a black and white photo of what appeared to be Joe and another woman. There was a chain next to the bed, but it was coiled, like a snake waiting for prey. A padded, floral rocking chair sat beside the wall with a basket of knitting beside it. It didn't take a genius to figure out what that guy was looking for, he was looking for a "wife". 

Knowing what she did about the cases, combined with what surrounded her, Kat felt like she had a pretty firm grasp on the situation she was dealing with. As long as she was compliant and went along with what Joe wanted, she should survive the ordeal long enough for the team to find her. Just the thought of playing along with his sick game repulsed her. But if he needed her to be the doting wife? That's exactly what she'd be. 

Next thing she knew, Joe was descending down the stairs, his gun still in hand. He pointed it at Kat while he untied her legs, his body tense from obviously having been attacked in this vulnerable position before. She could detect a slight grin when she didn't respond how he expected her to and it made her stomach churn. 

"Thanks for joining me," Joe oozed, his eyes locking on the photo across the room. "You'll never be My Ruth, but you'll do if you behave." Kat didn't have any warning before the butt of the gun slammed into her head, blood soon dripping into her eyes. The stinging was terrible but the throbbing was the worst part. And Joe was just smiling wickedly. With as much as she wanted to say in that moment, Kat just dropped her gaze and remained silent. She needed to play the role in order to survive, that became a mantra for her. If she did, she'd eventually get to go home. Before heading back upstairs, Joe stroked Kat's cheek, the young woman pulling away without even realizing. It just made him laugh. "We're going to have fun, gorgeous. Just you wait and see..." He slammed the door behind him and locked it, Kat hearing three distinct latches. 

When she was finally alone, Kat let out the breath she hadn't known she was holding. The adrenaline was wearing off and her injury was slowly getting to her. Her head was spinning, her consciousness beginning to fade. As she drifted off, she imagined her shaggy-haired knight in navy kevlar bursting through the door and saving her from the dastardly villain. She knew Spencer would find her, she knew the team would come, she just hoped that they would arrive sooner rather than later. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's a tad short, but I'll make up for it in the next chapter. I swear :)


End file.
